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Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli Casserole

Since we have dipped our toes into raising and butchering our own chickens, there has been an abundance of leftover cooked chicken at our disposal. And not wanting to literally dispose of the leftover chicken, I have had to come up with some recipes to use it in.

I have always loved the comforting taste of a rice casserole, so I checked the pantry to see what I had available to use with my leftover chicken, and the result was this casserole.

I used my big cast iron pan to cook it in, since I can also use that pan in the oven--it saves on dishes. Also, we had a handful of Cheez-Its sitting in the pantry, so that is what we opted to use for the topping.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown rice; saute rice in butter until golden. Stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil (increasing heat if necessary). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.3. Stir in cooked chicken, broccoli, mayonnaise, yogurt, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.4. If you are using a heat proof skillet, you may keep the casserole in the skillet. If not, transfer the casserole to a 3 quart baking dish. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and crushed crackers. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.5. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly. If desired, broil the top of the casserole for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the top.6. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary over top the casserole just before serving.

To avoid clogging and bad odors, sink and tub drains should be periodically cleaned.

A once a month cleaning with a non-toxic, homemade cleaner prevents needing a stronger, usually sodium hydroxide (lye) based, cleaner to remove clogs. Sodium hydroxide is extremely caustic, and will damage the lungs if inhaled, burn skin and eyes, and can be fatal if swallowed. In addition, the heat generated by using sodium hydroxide can soften PVC pipes, and damage old, corroded pipes. It also changes the pH of water and can cause fish kills.

A much nicer alternative to this harsh chemical is the simple combination of baking soda and vinegar, followed with boiling water. When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they foam and expand, cleaning the sides of your pipes and dissolving fatty acids. The boiling water then washes it all away. This method is a great way to use up the box of baking soda in your frig that is not longer doing a good job of deodorizing.

Every little thing you do helps and the small things really do add up. Which is why I have a somewhat creepy tub of soap scraps in my bathroom.

I admit, it seems a little weird to save soap scraps, but it wasn't always this way. In fact, they used to have little contraptions for saving your soap scraps.

But those days are gone. Or are they?

I think frugality is making a comeback--at least, it is around here, because I save all our soap scraps. What do I do with them?

Recycled Soap Scrap Bars

If you are regular users of bar soap, a family of four can easily manage to get six additional bars of soap per year by saving soap scraps. It doesn't seem like much, so I'll write it this way instead: in ten years, that would be 60 bars of "free" soap. There, that seems more impressive.

Ingredients:
Soap scraps
Water
Herbs (optional)

1. Grate or finely chop soap scraps. Measure the amount you end up wi…